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Apple Releases Mac Mini EFI Firmware Update 1.7 to Fix Flickering on HDMI External Displays

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iamkarlp

macrumors regular
Oct 15, 2008
102
0
Yvan256 said:
I guess HDMI is also a bag of hurt.
Click to expand...

In many instances it is. Whether it be distance limitations, poor connector ruggedization, or the atrociousness that is HDCP handshaking, HDMI has been a bag of hurt for me in many ways.

I truly wish we could have gotten SDI instead of HDMI.

Yeah, so it would be a bit easier for the pirates in certain circumstances, but a quick troll of the internet shows that is a lost battle anyways. Might as well give us a reliable, rugged solution that works with a very well behaved and understood cabling system.

Karl P

PS: for anyone about to make noise about SDI interface costs, that is purely a condition of (relative) obscurity. Pricing would have / could have been much different with critical mass adoption.
 
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paulrbeers

macrumors 68040
Dec 17, 2009
3,963
123
Mr. McMac said:
I tried updating, but it didn't work! . Found out my Mac Mini wasn't plugged in. Boy do I feel silly! LOL!!

Seriously, there's no fix for 2011 Mini's with the same problem?
Click to expand...

I had (up until about a week ago when I sold it) a 2011 Base Mini hooked to an HDMI monitor with no issues since they were released. I've read lots of problems with the 2012, but virtually none with the 2011.....
 
Mr. McMac

Mr. McMac

Suspended
Dec 21, 2009
2,968
363
Far away from liberals
paulrbeers said:
I had (up until about a week ago when I sold it) a 2011 Base Mini hooked to an HDMI monitor with no issues since they were released. I've read lots of problems with the 2012, but virtually none with the 2011.....
Click to expand...

I've had all sorts of problems with my 2011 base mini when hooked up through HDMI including random black and snow screens, even kernel panics on restart. Ever since I switched to thunderbolt with an adapter from monoprice, I haven't had any issues whatsoever. I've been problem free for over 2 months now...
 
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profets

macrumors 603
Mar 18, 2009
5,114
6,146
paulrbeers said:
I had (up until about a week ago when I sold it) a 2011 Base Mini hooked to an HDMI monitor with no issues since they were released. I've read lots of problems with the 2012, but virtually none with the 2011.....
Click to expand...

I was experiencing issues as well with a 2011 mini connected using hdmi. Extremely annoying, and had many many support calls with Apple (they were trying to help figure out the cause). Eventually I changed my monitor to a newer one that had display port so it wasn't a big deal.

But the problem existed, a quick google search and you'll see a lot of complaining.
 
MagnusVonMagnum

MagnusVonMagnum

macrumors 603
Jun 18, 2007
5,193
1,442
Is this "flickering" an actual constant flicker (like the old computers with interlace or PAL displays) or are we talking about the display going black for a second and then coming back on? The latter is what my brand new Mac Mini does over DVI (using the HDMI to DVI dongle). It IS annoying. My old PowerMac with an ATI Radeon 9800GT does the SAME thing, though (just not as often) so I'm wondering what in the heck all these Macs have in common. that thing is from 2001 and has the PPC architecture and does the same thing.

I ordered a Thunderbolt to HDMI adapter (which come to think I'll then have to use the DVI adapter on as well depending on which of my monitors I end up using it with), but haven't gotten it yet.
 
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paulrbeers

macrumors 68040
Dec 17, 2009
3,963
123
profets said:
I was experiencing issues as well with a 2011 mini connected using hdmi. Extremely annoying, and had many many support calls with Apple (they were trying to help figure out the cause). Eventually I changed my monitor to a newer one that had display port so it wasn't a big deal.

But the problem existed, a quick google search and you'll see a lot of complaining.
Click to expand...

Strange, becuase my my LG LED monitors connected via HDMI have had no issues with this. I haven't seen many complains in the Mac Mini forums about this (and you would think you would since the 2012's have a series of issues and many with 2011's aren't complaining). I had an issue early on with the HDMI port but a swap of cables and I was good to go.

Either way, the issue does not seem to be nearly as widespread as the 2012 which pretty much affects all HDMI connected tv's and monitors.
 
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profets

macrumors 603
Mar 18, 2009
5,114
6,146
paulrbeers said:
Strange, becuase my my LG LED monitors connected via HDMI have had no issues with this. I haven't seen many complains in the Mac Mini forums about this (and you would think you would since the 2012's have a series of issues and many with 2011's aren't complaining). I had an issue early on with the HDMI port but a swap of cables and I was good to go.

Either way, the issue does not seem to be nearly as widespread as the 2012 which pretty much affects all HDMI connected tv's and monitors.
Click to expand...

I know, it definitely wasn't every 2011 mini that had the issue, it was very funny, but so easy to replicate. I did see several 2011's that didn't have the same issue.

It never worried me too much as I didn't want to use hdmi full time as a connection to my monitor, and I was planning on using it as a small server without monitor anyway. And who knows, the issue could have been fixed, it's been nearly 18 months with several updates and mountain lion being released since the issue happened.
 
Lancer

Lancer

macrumors 68020
Jul 22, 2002
2,217
147
Australia
jrlcopy said:
It seems like every single mac for the last few years has had this issue and then was fixed with it's own patch a couple months later. Can they not just make this patch before they ship the damn things?
Click to expand...

I guess we the consumers are the final testers, no matter how many hours they test units there is nothing like mass use in the real world. And as customers we want new things now.

Just hope there are no major bugs in the new iMac or Fusion Drive, I guess we now have a few weeks of testing by Mini users of the new FD and nothing bad has been reported?
 
O

osx11

macrumors 6502a
Jan 16, 2011
825
0
"Your computer's power cord must be connected and plugged into a working power source."

For the Mac Mini, really?
 
R

rumplestiltskin

macrumors 6502
Apr 12, 2006
284
103
eizen said:
lol I returned mine on Saturday because of this issue. I guess the people at returns aren't in any type of loop be it the problems with hardware or if a fix is coming.
Click to expand...

Should be some great deals on refurb'd minis...including yours. :D

(I actually already own a 2012 mini and worked around the problem by connecting a minidisplayport-to-HDMI adapter, then the adapter Apple supplied with the mini (HDMI-to-DVI) and then used my DVI cable to my display. No flickering.)
 
Sayer

Sayer

macrumors 6502a
Jan 4, 2002
981
0
Austin, TX
See, all the hand wringing over this issue and its fixed relatively quickly once Intel found the cause and a came up with a workaround (there is a flaw in Intel's HD4xxx graphics chips).

Having my Mac mini running all day I saw the screen black out twice I think. It's not world-ending or anything.

I also did not have any issues with HDMI to my 50" plasma TV such as odd coloring or blurry text. Yeah the text isn't perfectly sharp, but its a TV and you don't sit 16" away from it like a desktop display (I have an LG IPS235 and it looks awesome running off my Mac mini).
 
MagnusVonMagnum

MagnusVonMagnum

macrumors 603
Jun 18, 2007
5,193
1,442
Since I got no reply thus far, I went to YouTube to see what this "flicker" is supposed to look like and in one video it shows the video being displayed turn purple tinted about every 6 or 7 seconds and in the other one I looked at, there are white rectangular patterns shooting down the screen (may look different in person), but the picture DOES maintain a lock, it seems in both cases whereas my Mac Mini's display actually loses lock and goes BLACK screen for a second or two and then comes back on. But there is no patterns/flicker as such and it doesn't happen every 6-10 seconds or whatever. It happens maybe once or twice an hour. It may not be the same thing at all.

I'll have to see if the firmware update makes any difference. I am using the DVI adapter with the 24" LG monitor in question, though. I have another 24" LG monitor that uses HDMI, though that I could try with it if need be (currently connected to my Windows machine with a DVI-to-HDMI cable).

I've got a Mini-DP/Thunderbolt to HDMI cable on the way as well for the other connector.
 
J

jae77

macrumors newbie
Dec 10, 2012
1
0
i only experience this issue when i stream movies over netflix, otherwise my screen never flickers.

hopefully this update fixes the issue either way.
 
W

Westyfield2

macrumors 6502a
Jun 9, 2009
606
0
Bath, UK.
From what I read there are multiple problems with Mac Mini HDMI:
  • Poor colours
  • Screen flickering
  • Screen blanking
  • 'Snow'

Which of the issues do Apple claim this firmware fixes? And which are Mac Mini owners finding it has fixed?
 
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